It may look like a lot of people lined up to board a row boat to you, but this is the Walberswick Ferry - a regularly scheduled and licensed service that crosses the mouth of the Blythe River between Southwold and Walberswick on the North Sea coast of Suffolk.
As part of a fine day out at the beach, visitors can spend part of their day in the pretty beach resort town of Southwold before heading to the southernmost end of Southwold Beach (the dog-friendly end) where there's a small harbor. The boat takes about two minutes to cross to Walberswick harbor and it's then a short walk to another long, white sand, dog-friendly beach as well as one of the Suffolk Coast's nicest pubs, The Anchor at Walberswick.
The Walberswick Ferry is one of the UK's last remaining rowed ferries. The day we tried it, a fit young woman rowed us across. And although the boat (which carries 11 people, plus dogs and bikes) was full, her arms weren't even as muscular as Madonna's. Her technique - traveling in either direction - seemed to be to point the boat into the center of the current, slightly upstream of the dock, then letting the swift current help turn the little row boat carry it to the other dock.
The ferry runs from June 1 to the end of September, whenever enough passengers show up, and costs 80 pence for human passengers or bicycles. Dogs go free. To find out more, telephone +44 (0)1502 478615 or visit the Walberswick village website.
